Swiss Camp

CIRES Director Konrad Steffen has conducted research
and maintained a station on the Greenland
Ice Sheet since 1990. He and his colleagues lived
and worked in roughly the same setup — three
insulated tents and a plywood sauna — for more
than two decades.

In 2009, much of the station collapsed when thick
steel supports finally buckled. In the summer of
2009, Steffen and his colleagues spent two extra
weeks in Greenland, rebuilding.

Two new insulated tents (11) now support science
work and a kitchen, and the bunk tent has been
replaced with old-school but reliable "Scott Tents" from England (12). One or two people can sleep in
each canvas tent, where the temperature typically
hovers about minus 20 degrees Celsius.

"That's a good temperature for sleeping," Steffen
said. "If you want to, you bring in a bottle with hot
water from the kitchen to warm up."

Electricity from solar panels and a wind turbine
(13) power all electrical equipment at Swiss Camp.

In 2009, the steel posts that had supported a platform
with three insulated tents, six skidoos, and other equipment
for over 20 years collapsed.

A major loss was the six-person sauna, for bathing and
warming up. Steffen said he hopes to rebuild in 2011 — there wasn't time in 2010. "The science came first," he said, "and we had so many things to do."

When snow blocked the sauna's more accessible
entrance, researchers and visitors climbed through
the roof hatch.

Swiss Camp supported three "tents," with 8-inch-thick walls
made from layers of insulation and fabric. One served as
bunkhouse, another as a "work tent" with computers and
other equipment, and a third as kitchen. In the kitchen tent,
Steffen dished up dinner for the then-Speaker of the House
during a visit in 2007.

Wind shredded several layers of the kitchen tent sometime
between late 2007 and early 2008. A Rolling Stone reporter
on his way to Swiss Camp brought in the blue tarp as a
temporary fix.

Instrument tower for climate measurements.

Skidoo fuel..

Melting ice left a pool of water under
the Swiss Camp in 2009. Snow levels
at Swiss Camp are dropping, through
some years, it still snows enough to
block doors.